Maybe Barry is cursed after all? Time to hibernate ...

Looking back at my my brief notes from last October, it's amazing (or maybe disgraceful?!) to think that it's taken us over seven months to publish this.  We'd promised the family we met that day we'd email them a copy of their group photo - I expect they've given up on us by now!  I think I've found their email address written hastily on a scrap of paper - I'll have to contact them and see if it's the right one ...

Since the previous blog entry, I've been away on my third 'Life Coaching' weekend with 'Life Coach Associates'.  This time we had a residential weekend in the Kauaeranga Forest Park at the Michael Stead Memorial Lodge, about 14 kms from Thames, on the spectacular Coromandel Peninsula.  It was totally inspirational - one of the things we did was to write a story of our life to date and then foresee our future - guess where Barry and I will be by 2013 if all goes to plan?

The view from the Lodge - stunning native bush as far as the eye can see

It's almost winter here in New Zealand, but our temperatures during the daytime are thankfully still around 18-20 degrees Celsius - not like the middle of autumn in England last year ...

Saturday 16 October

We're very aware of the need to get moving now, with only a few days left to get close to Northampton where there's a couple of boatyards - one of which it seems will have the pleasure of selling Northern Pride for us.  Barry has a few bits to do on the boat before then, and we need to pack up our accumulated belongings ready to remove them from the boat.  We've arranged a hire car to collect us next Thursday so we can travel to my parents house close to Worcester, then at the weekend we're having a 'Walsh family' (and its extensions) weekend in the New Forest.

Last night we searched the boat for our keys, but they weren't to be found. I knew I'd put them on the shelf at the entrance earlier in the day, but they were no longer there. Barry kept asking where 'I'd' put them - reading my emails a short time later I discovered one from Carrie (thanks again!) who sent us a message via the blog - "Did you leave your keys at the waterpoint at Aylesbury by any chance?" - Barry's face broke into a guilty smile when I told him!  He suspects it's all to do with the curse from the church, lol!

Incredibly we managed to leave our mooring in Marsworth by 1000hrs, warmed slightly by the sun which was desperately trying to shine for the first time since last weekend.

 

 

 

An adorable thatched cottage near Marsworth

 

 

 

Marsworth Lock and cottage

You'd need to keep the vegetation trimmed here!

The ivy must play havoc with the plaster, but it's most attractive

Arriving at the second lock which was almost empty, I saw another boat coming up with a day hire boat full of people - there must've been about nine of them.  Two guys got off, without a windlass, so I did the lock and opened gate for them.  They informed me they were 'narrowboat virgins', so we duly instructed them on the fine art of locking.  I can't believe that the hire company hadn't already done that, they obviously weren't listening!

Boatyard at Great Seabrook

Under this beautiful bridge, past Grebe Canal Cruises ...

... to be confronted by a train whizzing past - 125mph versus 3mph, I know which I prefer!  About two miles further up the line is where 'The Great Train Robbery' occurred in 1963

Lower Seabrook Lock and cottage - have to say we're a long way from the sea here

At the following lock there were more day hire boaters just leaving - we missed them on the next few then caught up and shared a lock with them.  We discovered that it was the parents' 50th wedding anniversary party cruise - what a great way to all celebrate, along with a feast of food on board.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary

After capturing their delightful family on camera, we left them to turn around and head back to the marina whilst we continued our long stretch to Leighton Buzzard with just a couple more well-spaced out locks.

Despite the promising start, it turned into a freezing cold day, but at least it remained mostly dry apart from a brief downpour at around 1230hrs.

Simple and practical - elegantly minimalistic - no ivy to maintain on the plaster here

Another example of two arched bridges, patiently awaiting the arrival of the second set of locks (which never materialised)

The sun's reflections appear as sparkling diamonds on the canal - breathtaking

Church Lock 29 at Grove

You can see the church to the right - now a private house

'The Grove Lock' pub coming up...

...and sadly slipping away into the distance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely autumnal colours now, on the trees and falling into the water

We arrived in Leighton Buzzard just after 1600hrs, stopped to stock up at Tesco's, then decided to stay overnight.  There was a BW dredger by bridge 114, and notices announcing that the moorings nearby had been 'suspended' that day, but by the time we got there the boat had already passed so we were OK. 

I took a walk into town in the hope of finding a charity shop open to look for anything 'yellow' for the quiz night my niece and nephew were organising for the family weekend - sadly I was too late, they'd all closed at 1700hrs.  Ah well, there's always tomorrow as Gloria Estefan would say!

The annual canal clean-up was taking place as we entered Leighton Buzzard ...

 ... dragging all sorts of things out of the canal - there was even a motorbike in there somewhere

The pretty picture from our moorings by the supermarket at Leighton Buzzard

  Downtown Leighton Buzzard with the 600 year old Market Cross

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Fire Station' and 'Post Office' are etched indelibly into these buildings - it's unlikely that either remain so today?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The parish church with a very narrow office door - no chance of the 'sin' of gluttony entering here!

Is this another opening for a drainpipe such as those we saw on the Notre Dame?

Some more of Barry's favourite red phone boxes!!

We had a quiet night in, and I retired to bed just after 2100hrs!  I'm not terribly keen on dark nights and coldness, it just makes me feel like hibernating - but then that's what the season of winter is all about really isn't it?  The death of the old, ready to welcome and celebrate the new life of spring.  I'll be experiencing all four seasons in 2011 for the first time in four years, but for now I'm looking forward to a fast forward to the New Zealand spring in November when we return.

A delightful but darkening day on the Aylesbury Arm ...

I suspect that many people will be thinking that we've stopped blogging all together, its been so long since I've managed to find sufficient time to sit down and reminisce once more.  Apologies everyone, we absolutely DO intend to complete our journeys of 2010 and thereafter continue blogging intermittently until we finally return to the canals in 2013 (or before if possible!).

I've been gallivanting around the southern hemisphere once more, with a week 'across the ditch' in Australia visiting a friend who moved there in January.  We'd been considering relocating for a year or so before returning to UK to top up our bank balance, but although I had a lovely time and Melbourne is a cool city, Australia just doesn't 'do it' for me in the way that New Zealand does, so it's likely that we'll be staying here until our next big move ...

Cape Patterson, two hours south east of Melbourne

Feeding the Pelicans on Phillip Island - apparently the largest of their kind in the world

A very cute Koala bear - a rare sight of one awake, as they sleep for 20 hours a day!

It's Australia, an opportunity to get up close and personal with a friendly wallaby

Our other news is that we booked return tickets to England yesterday for three weeks in March 2012 - Malaysia Airlines had a deal too good to pass up and it means we can both come for less than the price of a return trip for one with any of the other airlines!  Who knows, we may even squeeze in a few days on the canals in some form or another ...

Friday 15th October

Before leaving Aylesbury, I did the girlie thing and wandered round the shops, while Barry took the masculine option of visiting the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ronnie was still sitting there staring at the theatre - I'm sure he'd rather be at the 'King's Head'!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G-G-G-Granville appears a couple of times round here

 

He managed to idle away an hour or so in the Aylesbury Museum, apparently a little 'dumbed down for kids' according to local opinion, but interesting all the same.  There was an amazing display of holograms from their first invention in the 1980s, to some pretty awesome current creations.

This contraption is a 'Magic Lantern', first appearing around 1660, though the pictured model is from c1900.  Travelling showmen used them to project painted glass slides of ghosts, skeletons and goblins onto walls and smoke screens to entertain and thrill audiences. These horror and fantasy shows were called 'Phantasmagoria' (!). Pink Floyd re invented it all in the 1960's, creating 'Psychedelia'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 While we filled with water these workmen opposite were busy driving steel pilings into the new wharf area

We finally headed off late morning, after stopping for water, and stumbled across Rick who shut one of the gates in the first lock for us.  We got chatting to him and discovered that he is the second trombonist with the orchestra who were playing for the Swan Lake Ballet at the newly opened Aylesbury Waterfront Theatre.  Despite a very late finish last night, he was ejected from his bed and breakfast accommodation so they could clean the room!  Not knowing the area, he decided to while away the time with a walk along the canal, where Barry was able to inform him of the interesting museum and fascinating hologram display - one of which it turned out was of a trombonist!  That's one of the beauties of the canals, you never know who you'll meet from day to day, and Rick was a lovely man, very good to meet you. 

 

 No-one on the canals today, peace and solitude along the straight and narrow waterway

 Just the occasional feathered friend as company

 And every so often other signs of life ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... human, horse and heron!

Our journey was very slow and seemed to take forever today, and at one point we were stranded in the middle of the canal, just beached on what must've been sludge!  Barry had to get the pole out in order to extricate ourselves from the depths of mud and was luckily eventually successful!

The weather was dreary, cloudy and cool, which doesn't make one feel very 'happy', I wonder if I'd get SAD (aka Seasonal Affective Disorder) if I was still living here?  I always miss my family sooo much when I return to NZ, and weather isn't everything, but I do find the persistent cold and darkness of British autumn and winter a challenge. I understand better now why Halloween, Guy Fawkes and Xmas is so celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere, it's to try and counteract the effects of the darkness!  However, we still get coldness and it gets dark down South too, but we don't have anything to brighten those autumn and winter days there, though some people do have a 'mid-winter Xmas party' in the middle of June!

Wrapped up warmly whilst on lock duty

 Those inside will be snug and warm with the log burner on

 In spite of the cold, the surroundings are truly beautiful along this stretch

I think this image sums up our opinion of the Aylesbury Canal - delightful

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We eventually arrived at the end of the Aylesbury Arm, took a sharp left turn, then moored up close to Marsworth and decided to have a rare night out.  Stopping at The Red Lion briefly, we decided that the menu didn't look too appealing, so we had a quick drink then walked to The Angler's Retreat which had a much more convivial atmosphere, full of locals chatting merrily away. 

Spotting what appeared to be the Landlady in a black jacket with a silver fern, I asked if she was a Kiwi to which she replied "I certainly am, I'm from Palmerston North".  "Oh well" said I, "I suppose someone has to be!" Lol!  I was recalling (but not repeating!) John Cleese's words after a visit to the North Island city "If you ever do want to kill yourself but lack the courage, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do the trick," click here if you want to read the town's revenge! 

The Landlady informed us she'd been in England for over 20 years and at The Red Lion for 9 years, helping it to gain 'The Most Improved Pub' award in 2004.  It was still plain 'British' food, I had cheese omelette, chips and salad, and Barry had a chilli and rice, but it appeared to be freshly prepared and satisfied our appetites after a long, cold day.

Then, for the first time this trip, we played a few games of darts which was fun.  It's always a delight to find a 'proper' British pub still going strong, well done Pauline and Jane.

There followed a rather precarious walk back to Northern Pride, along a very dark towpath and then stepping gingerly over the top of the staircase lock of the entrance to the Aylesbury Arm, managing to get safely back on board.